Last Saturday we participated in a pirate treasure hunt in the harbor. Since it was cold and rainy - and the event only lasted 45 minutes - and we were already on shore, a group of us (Kathy from Ishmael, Ann from Pura Vita and Tammy from Osprey) decided to head down to the bookstore for a Tim Dorsey book signing.

Who is Tim Dorsey you ask? A Florida author known for writing humorous crime novels featuring recurring character Serge A. Storms. Or, as Tammy says, the guy who writes the Tim Dorsey books.

Turns out that Mr. Dorsey is not quite so funny in person and seemed somewhat indifferent to our attendance at his event. Since we were already out and about, and since Porky's happy hour starts at noon on Saturday . . . . well, you can see where this is going.

As evidenced by previous posts, our favorite local hangout is Porky's Bayside, so it should be no surprise that our favorite bartender might be found there. This is Cassie, a recent arrival from Alaska, who is a one woman instant party.

While Clarence Clemmons sightings are frequent here in Marathon, celebrity visits are something of a rarity. President and Mrs. Carter visited earlier this month and Johnny Depp was reportedly seen in town as well. At our favorite stomping ground, Porky's, we spotted none other than Travis Tritt, pictured here with Bess and Kathy from Ishmael.

Okay, it is in fact a big fat lie. This is just a local whose real name we either did not care enough to find out or we did not remember (it was happy hour after all). We're not really sure that the Travis lookalike appreciated our attention but he was a pretty good sport about it.

Bessie and her sisters got together for a weekend over on the west coast of Florida. A lot of hilarity ensued. Mummy would have called it a silly session. With luck this will just be the first of many.

This is a pic of one of the fabulous sunsets we experience down here in the Keys. This shot is taken from Burdines, no, not the department store, but a way laid back restaurant http://burdineswaterfront.com/ at the west end of Boot Key Harbor.

Yes, we are still in Marathon. Bessie's work situation is now a little up in the air since she injured her rotator cuff lifting heavy things. It's just not getting better and looks like she'll have to take it easy on her arm for a few weeks yet - this over 40 nonsense stinks.

So we're just playing it by ear right now and enjoying having the luxury of hanging out together.

Be happy, it's bitter cold here. A frosting of snow on the docks here this morning, gusts to 40 and 20 degrees. If we could I'd haul the boat and stay at the house - on the positive the Reverse Cycle is keeping up - don't want to see our electrical bill. My new quote: If you want a white Xmas - "Move to Vermont!"

Merry Holidays to y'all

M & L and the "pooches gracias"

12/17/2010 | Gail Larcher

Very cool, I have never seen a seahorse out side of an aquarium.. Or dried up in a shell shop

Bottom's done, we're on our way

11/30/2010

After 10 days in the yard, our bottom is repainted and various other projects completed. Lit out of there on the 22nd for Vero Beach. While we missed the big Thanksgiving gathering we did have a chance to catch up with a lot of friends, old and new.

After 4 days in Vero, we are now on our way to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale from there to hop out to the Keys.

While in St. A, we made a few trips to our favorite restaurant the Back 40. Here we are with Holly who works there - you may be a little too much of a regular when your server has you over for dinner and laundry. We're looking forward to seeing Holly again when she visits the Keys this winter.

Happy Thanksgiving boater friends... best wishes to you and enjoy! Btw: Linda is wearing her Tiara while cooking in honor of B-day month.

See ya...

Our annual Ryan photo

11/11/2010

On our way through Wrightsville Beach we checked in on nephew Ryan. Per his mother's request, here is this year's pic of Kathy's baby (sorry Ryan, her word not ours.) As always we had great fun with him.

Yep, we're outta there - but just before we left, we took the boat around to the Rhode River for our traditional last evening at Gail's.

Anne joined us for the first leg of the trip and then we feasted at the Old Stein in Edgewater. Yes that is nice delicious German beer in front of us - and oh the jaegerschnitzle and spaetzle and red cabbage, yummmmm.

Thanks to Tory Salvia from the Sailing Channel for this pic from the last night of the sailboat show. One of our favorite things about the show is the 'boat parade' on the last night - when they break down the docks and all the boats leave at once.

Bill is working for the show this year. The powerboat show is this coming weekend and he'll work after that doing breakdown. As soon as he is done we'll start the trek south.

During the evening out with the girls, we found ourselves at an Irish bar frequented by bagpipers in kilts - so given the opportunity, Bessie decided to check on the oft asked question of kilts and what lies beneath. Wouldn't you look too?????

We arrived in St. Augustine just in time for the arrival of the very first edition of Lee's paper, the Watertown News. He did great job - it really looks fabulous. In only 6 weeks he was able to write or get written all the copy, get almost 40 businesses to advertise and do all the layout himself. It was very cool to be there to see the very first papers hit the streets.

The purpose of our stop in St. Augustine was to catch up with our old friend Lee from Krasna. We last saw him here in late November. Rather than heading further south, he is staying in St. A and has actually started a newspaper.

This is taken at the small marina where he lives. He is barely recognizable with all his crazy hair cut off. The other gentleman is Bob, he is an old friend of Lee's who is a woodworking genius and owns the marina where Lee lives.

We made great time coming up from the keys, only 3 1/2 days to St. Augustine. Pups spotted the beach as we came in the inlet and got pretty excited - Jake is saying "Please, can we? can we?" They love nothing more than to be let loose to run on a good beach.

Another highlight of the California trip was catching up with Marcel and Anne. Funny enough, Bill and Marcel just happened to be wearing the exact same thing - right down to the blue Keen's on their feet.

We will start to post with more frequency as we are headed north bright and early tomorrow. We are headed to Annapolis for a few months - so we look forward to catching up with all our DC-VA-MD friends and family.

With the winter season ending here in Marathon, things at work are slowing down until Memorial Day. As a result, Bessie was able to swing a few days off.

So today we got to act like cruisers again - sleeping in, exploring in the dinghy, swimming and stopping for lunch at Burdine's. Here we are with Harold and Val from La Buena Vita, Val's brother Cliff visiting from Texas, Dick and Larry from Ula G - and, of course, the hounds.

Tomorrow's agenda includes snorkeling, swimming and 25 cent wing night at the Hurricane.

Upon our arrival in Marathon, we were delighted to find that our friends Harold and Val from La Buena Vita were here for the season. They are leaving us in a few weeks, but we have been delighted to be able to spend time with them this year. And they often entertain poor Bill when he is abandoned while Bessie is at work.

Today we took advantage of a day off to go to the beach with Harold and Val - and to scrape the growth off of the the bottom of the dinghy.

i've said it before, and i'll say it again -- i hate you guys!!! actually, you know we love you but i am so very, very jeolous of your tan and lifestyle.

Tara and the Boss

04/02/2010

Totally unrelated to boats or sailing or island life - proud Aunt Bessie was delighted to get this picture from sister Martha along with an update on her niece Tara and her worldwide travels as makeup artist for Lady Gaga.

This is a picture of Tara with Bruce Springsteen. She had dinner with him and his 3 sons and, of course, her boss, Lady Gaga. Tara is now in Australia, next Japan then to Sweden, France, Germany, Belgium and then back to the UK.

During Gail and Steve's 1 1/2 day visit, we ate our way through about a 40 mile stretch through Marathon and down the lower keys.

This photo is taken outside of Parrotdise in Little Torch Key. Part of the ambiance outside the restaurant includes a dismasted sailboat and this old Range Rover. I don't actually think they intend for people to get in the vehicle, but you go ahead and try to stop Gail from doing something.

Don't laugh I used to drive one of those in Chad - a 1968 Land Rover Series II right hand drive without any doors. The Sahara is harsh mistress for learning how to shift with your left hand. Miss a gear and it can cost you 2 - 4 hours of digging yourself out.

04/02/2010 | Gail Larcher

Maybe big Mike can get it started.

How come Gail gets to be the mermaid??

03/23/2010

In their short time here in Marathon, we took Gail and Steve to Keys Fisheries twice.

As you might be able to guess, it is one of our favorite places. The seafood is fabulous and it's a great place to catch the sunset over the Bay.

Here we are in Bessie's dream car, a 1985 VW Cabriolet convertible, crossing the big bridge.

We acquired this new vehicle a couple weeks back and have named her Julia - pronounced Hulia. You can see a little bit of the Hula girl on the dash board, her name is Julietta - pronounced, of course, Hulietta.

It was so fun to hang with you guys!!! I'm sure we'll find a way to meet again!

Just how cool . .

03/02/2010

. . .is this place where Bess is working??

Here is the view from the table in the previous post, looking out at the 7 Mile Bridge.

To back up and fill in more info on this whole job/working thing - Bess had been considering, since the earlier ugliness with the mast, seeking gainful employment because being industrious is good for both the soul and the cruising kitty.

After making a few inquiries around town, to no avail, one day we were cruising around on our bikes down toward the 7 Mile Bridge. We were ready to turn around and head back, but on a whim took a little side road that led up past the Pigeon Key visitor center and down to Knight's Key. There at the bend in the road was this great looking thatched roof building with a sign out front saying "Sunset Grille opening February 12."

We wandered inside to find the place bustling with all the activity one would expect in a place only 3 days from opening. Bess asked for an application and a few days later found herself a working stiff - and really, really enjoying it.

Now she comes home every night with cash that is handed over to Bill for safe keeping. He says this makes him feel like a pimp and that maybe he should buy a white velvet hat with a purple feather.

Just before we left Dinner Key, Happy Hours - a boat headed to the Virgin Islands with 2 little girls - hosted a gathering on their 45 Antigua. While the rest of the adults were outside enjoying beverages, Bill was playing fun dominoes with Avery.

After our day trip to Elliott, we are back in Coconut Grove for another week. We'll get a few more provisions and then head down to the Keys, taking it slow and trying to find as many quiet, uninhabited places as possible. That will give us other things to focus on in our posts besides the mast.

The boys finally got their first beach outing of the season when we spent a day at Elliott Key with Rusty and Bob from Summerwind.

Sadly, there are millions of dead fish on the beaches in the keys from the deep freeze. And it's predicted that there will be a second wave of deaths because of the weakened state of the remaining fish population.

For weeks we have been hearing whining from the north about snow and cold, an not one lick of sympathy for our plight in the frosty south. When we finally made it to Ft. Lauderdale and then Miami, it was with temps in the 20s at night and 30s and 40s during the day - without heat or much in the way of winter clothes.

Here is Bill, wearing about every stitch he owns, trying to stay warm. We haven't quite thawed out yet but it's getting better.

Okay, this is probably pretty cheesy and I fully expect to get flack from Veranda (Bill more so than Christy) - but I put this pic up because we are still pathetic and mastless and now have a sick puppy (Gus has Lyme disease) and we really, really, really wish we could be there at Pipe Creek.

Yes, we stole this photo from Veranda's blog and no, this is not what Stuart is like. But aren't we allowed to dream a little in honor of the birth of Christ?

Today we are going to a cruiser potluck here are Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart. It's a new marina with plenty of moorings and very nice facilities.

We're keeping our fingers crossed that we may be two masted again sometime next week.

The only way Pipe Creek could have been nicer was if you, Bill & the hounds could have been here with us. Good news about the possibility of the mast being ready. We vote for Marathon.

Our best to Gus, Christy & Bill

12/27/2009 | mike, linda & pups

Cheers and Merry Xmasika,
We miss you, the sun finally came out today and it's going to be 50. So count your blessings - I'm going to put the ice eater in and set up PVC for shrink wrap over our bimini (we need to get another few years out of it. 2 ft. of snow ripped one zipper even though I cleared it hourly. Enjoy Fla... and we'll keep in touch. Morgan says to Gus, "it's no big woof, take your drugs and you'll be fine"

M & L and the pups

Still mastless, week 2

12/16/2009

So it appears that our mast will be ready sometime next week and we can be on our way again.

Came back to Vero for a few days to pick up mail, do laundry, etc. Today, back to Ft. Pierce.

Once the mast is ready, we will head south. Bess wants to spend the bulk of the season in either Marathon or Key West. Bill wants to consider Stuart.

The good news is that crossing over to the Bahamas is now a maybe. If we did it would be later in the season March or April.

In the meantime, we're not sure we can read Veranda's blog anymore - makes us sad and envious at the same time.

But we're getting by and having a good time, as pictured above - last night we gathered on Duet with Sea Fox X. A delightful time was had by all.

Bessie, Bill,
Boat issues or not, you're not dealing with a foot of snow and still coming down hard - wind at 20 - 40 Mph (oh joy!). As you know we are not all that big on the whole "White Christmas" unless it's white sand beaches. Just thought we would drop y'all holiday wishes - hope Santa bring's you a repaired mast and goodwill for Xmas. The kid's did have a good time romping in the snow today.

Take care, think about the 12 -26" of snow you are not enjoying.

Mike & Linda

It's been a while since we posted

12/05/2009

But with good reason.

A couple weeks back, on the way to Vero Beach for Thanksgiving, we had an unfortunate incident that resulted in a busted shroud and a dented mast.

Poor little Alibi II now has one mast as we sit in Fort Pierce trying to decide on our options.

On top of that, we are now seeing droves of friends on their way south. We can only wave wistfully.

It appears that we may be spending a winter in Florida, and Bessie may get a job. We just have to figure out exactly where.

The upside (there always is one) is that it appears there are a good number of abandoned boats sitting in yards in Florida, so we might just spend the season going from yard to yard in search of the perfect project.

After a day or so at Cumberland Island, we did a short hop up the St. Mary's River to explore the town of St. Mary's.

While there we found ourselves in Seagle's Saloon, where Miss Cindy Deen the Porno Queen tends bar.

We did not have the camera, so the best we could do is capture the image above from one of Miss Cindy's business cards.

The other side of her card says "Come on into Seagle's Saloon for great cocktails, some tender lovin' trash talk, and good southern sassin' from bartender Cindy Deen."

It is worth mentioning that Lee wandered in before we got there. He asked Miss Cindy first about the price of a burger and then about the famous cruisers' Thanksgiving. She let him know that the Thanksgiving event is not for the homeless. Now he's REALLY considering a haircut.

Hunker Down... hope that the worst of this has passed y'all by now. The rain is pretty steady here, and the foundation work has slowed again. Great pix - it is so great to be able to cruise vicariously through you two. No worries we'll hold down the status quo here. M&L+ M&M send woofs to the boys

11/12/2009 | Bess and Bill

Jake could sure use Murphy's help with this dolphin thing. Every time he turns around there are more of those demons that he needs to bark at - it's exhausting!!

Overnight to Charleston

11/08/2009

We ran all night Sunday from Cape Fear to Charleston. Had nice weather and a fairly calm ride.

Jake is getting some much needed rest for once we get out of the swamp the demon dolphins show up. He now spends the bulk of his time on high alert, looking for the creatures from the sea that torment him.

We were disappointed that the usual lock tender, Robert, was not there when we passed through. He is a delightful, happy guy who practices playing the conch horn during the boring winter months and actually won a contest in Key West.

Here is a shot that shows his palm trees and collection of conch shells given to him by cruisers. This shot does accurately capture the number of shells he has.

We pulled the anchor around 9:30 on Thursday morning and arrived in Norfolk about 2:30 or so on Friday.

Bill, just barely out of a sick bed, got some much needed shut-eye somewhere around 4:00 this morning. Poor Lee, on Krasna, was by himself a few miles behind us the whole trip with no crew to allow for a nap - so we probably won't see him again this evening.

We'll start down the Great Dismal Swamp sometime tomorrow and hit Elizabeth City, NC by Sunday. A few days later, Oriental and then (Ryan watch out!) we're headed to Wilmington - probably be there sometime late next week.

Bessie - Thank you so much for your blogsite and pw. When I met you at Fawcetts I didn't realize how easy blogging could be until I went onto your site. We have one now: http://www.sailblogs.com/member/svjubilee/
thank you so much & I hope we see you again!

Send off for Bill

09/03/2009

This week Bill is being a dutiful son and brother. He flew out to Oregon on Wednesday with brother-in-law Charlie to move his mother back to Maryland.

So Tuesday night we had an inpromptu gathering of cruisers at McGarvey's in Annapolis. Pictured here are the folks from Mandalay, Krasna and Duet. A fun time was had by all.

Thanks to Gail for the photo.

Bess is not thrilled by Bill's absence but getting by. No sobs have been heard coming from the top of the creek - especially since she was told by co-worker and boat neighbor Lenny "There will be no whining in Spa Creek."

Went down to DC to meet up with the girls and go see Edwin at the 9:30 Club. The show was fabulous - but then again, Edwin is always great.

Thanks to Laura for the picture. Yes, Robin and Bess both look silly, not surprisingly, it's Bess' fault for making a goofy comment. But Larry, Edwin and Bill look great.

It's bad enough that Bess has to have her pic taken with the ever-photogenic Bill on a regular basis, but then to have to stand between him and Edwin looking all buff . . . . not good, not good at all.

For more on Edwin or to see if he's playing near you check out http://www.edwin.com/

Bill and Bess plan to see him next in November in Wilmington, NC. when we stop in Wrightsville Beach during the trek south. The girls are opting to do a silly-ass Broadway weekend or some such nonsense, so I guess we'll have to round up some cruisers and nephew Ryan for that show.

But we failed to charge the camera, so we don't have any pictures of the big event.

While we were in Hagerstown, the hounds went to stay on Veranda with their friends Molly and Tucker. We stole this photo from Veranda's site - you can find a link to it in our favorites.

Apparently at some point during the weekend the clippers came out so that Molly and Tucker could get groomed. At the very sight of clippers, Gus and Jake hightailed it to the bow for safety.

Molly has written a definitive and highly entertaining guide for dogs making the transition from land to sea. Her book is available from Amazon.com and can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/Molly-Tucker-get-Shanghaied-Veranda/dp/0557042100/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248994150&sr=8-1

Larry and I actually had the thrill of riding in the bunny rabbit. The paint job is original. The interior is original. The shocks are original. the radio is gone. It does get from place A to place B, though and it was great to see you both! Thanks for the laughs!

Dinosaur Land and a new car

07/03/2009

Here we are in front of Dinosaur Land in Stephen's City, Virginia.

We went out that way to pick up a new (for us) car - just a beater, a get-around-town car for the summers.

Yes, that sweet ride we are leaning against is a 1981 VW Rabbit Diesel. She sure is a beaut and no we will not sell it to you even if you beg.

Unfortunately, the guy who was supposed to buy the Mazda flaked on us, so we are temporarily with two cars. Flippin' people from New Jersey!!

Just like the old days!
Mark looks the same, never very trustworthy.
But Larry looks like he's lost weight -- what's his secret? I need to know!
Glad you're home, but I miss the pictures of all the sites in the islands.

06/23/2009 | Bess and Bill

Don't worry Wayne, in a few months we'll head south to take more island pix. B&B

07/05/2009 | wayne

HEY, we were watching the 4th of July fireworks in DC last night and was thinking -- maybe next year we'll go and Bill can take us out on the river by the Lincoln Memorial and watch them from the water. What do you think?

Going through old pix

05/31/2009

And we found this one of Sue, Laura and Bess - it's an oldie but a goodie from last summer's sailing on the Bay.

Well, on the right is our 2007-2008 Bahamian courtesy flag. Alibi II entered the Bahamas on New Years Day 2008 and left on April 1. You can see that this flag is nearly intact.

On the left is our most recent flag. We cleared in on December 29 and left in early April. About same amout of time, but because of high, constant winds this year, the flag is only about a third of its original size.

That you would do after six months away?? Well, very first thing was laundry - but a very close second was ribs!!! From Adam's Rib, of course. Oh, and a haircut - as you can see, Bill no longer looks like a hippie.

Here we are at Adam's Rib, with Anne - who was our very generous, yet absent laundry host.

We're delighted she's back to hang out with, but somewhat relieved that she and Marcel were not there to see the seemingly endless amount of laundry that we ran through their machines.

After being back a week or so, we almost have our act together. Laundry is done, boat is kinda organized and Bess is working at Fawcett's.

We haven't decided yet if we will continue posting or discontinue until October when we head south again. Bess suggested that maybe we feature boat projects over the summer. This was met with a loud groan from Bill who said "But then I would have to actually DO projects!"

I agree with recording the boat chores list. Bill, at least you'll be able to prove you did em' later. Otherwise some of us might believe your both just laying around in your clean undies eating ribs....

05/22/2009 | Bess and Bill

You're supposed to wash the undies too?!?! Blast it!! I guess we better head back over to Anne's house.

05/24/2009 | Steve Stanforth

Bill if you run out of chores give me a call we still have a few to get done before October

Back in Edgewater

05/12/2009

And our very first visitor, second year is a row, was Gail.

Here she is sporting her new hat, woven from Sandollar Beach palm fronds. Hmmm, where'd she get that?

While in Elizabeth City, we had the chance to spend time wth Bill's nephew Dan, who is a Coastie.

Unlike a week earlier when we forgot to take pix of our visit with nephew Ryan in Wrightsville Beach, we did remember to get photos of Dan, his wife Angie and kids Sierra, Buddy and Connor.

After a fun evening Friday with Dan and Angie, they brought the kids over Saturday morning so we could meet them. All three thought the boat and the dogs were great fun. 7 year old Sierra is an avid reader and, as it turns out, a natural conch horn blower. Buddy is a very sweet boy who is bound and determined that he can crack open that coconut. And Connor is a tough little toddler who is just plain funny.

We hope to catch up with them again soon before they move to Alaska this summer.

We posted this picture, even though Bess looks like a goober and Bill looks like an hippie, because this guy is so enthusiastic about boaters - as is everyone in Elizabeth City it seems.

They host a wine and cheese party for the boaters weeknights at 4:30 and the Mayor gives them the rundown on everything to do in Elizabeth City. He was helping grab lines when we pulled in yesterday. They call Elizabeth City the Harbor of Hospitality, and yes Christy, we did get a flower this time.

Scottie and Kim, this is where you need to come on your summer cruise - and then do the rest of what they call the Carolina Loop - here is a link to the website http://www.discoverec.org/thingstodo-boating.html

Alibi II stopped for a day at Dophin Cove Marina in Charleston to visit with Revel - more specifically Clay and Dianne from Revel, a 35 foot Spriger that beat us in every race this year.

We met Dianne last year when we stayed at the marina and got to know her husband Clay this year in Georgetown.

We probably should have gotten a picture of Clay and Diane or maybe the Charleston waterfront. But we didn't, instead we got a picture of this pretty blue bench at Dolphin Cove - which, by the way, is a great marina on the Ashley River.

Holy shit you guys slipped out the back door fast.....jeez, you'd think you were dodging a bar bill or something. We wondering where you went....We're in Eleuthera, should make the Berries by Wednesday and back to the states after about 10 more days. Don't let Bill sneak past Vero Beach........You'll enjoy it. Take care....

I am SOOOOOO jealous. It freakin' snowed here in Boise the last 3 days straight! And here you are in the sun. When can we come visit? Love you both, good wishes!

03/13/2009 | Dan

Did you guys celebrate Rama-Dan?

04/02/2009 | Bess and Bill@ill

Dan, this year we celebrated Dan-bration instead. And you??

More from conch horn class

03/01/2009

Here is Bess at conch horn making class. Cruisers like to blow the conch horn at sunset. We are making several so we have some to bring back. We'll bring one for CYC so maybe they will bring back their sunset ritual on the deck with a conch horn instead of a cannon.

OMG -- just like the craft classes Goldie took in Florida!! Now she's into painting at the Gardens of Traville -- I can check and see if they are looking for craft instructors this summer!!

04/22/2009 | Nicole Case

Okay - I've had enough of these pics of you weaving hats and now Conch horn making class??? What happened to my federal power partner in crime?? Truly happy to see you tan and happy. We're settling in here in Oregon . No warm beaches or conch horn making classes here but we have a few coyotes, an owl, frogs, ducks and now I hear a woodpecker out back somewhere! miss you!

Hey there, Bess! I just wondered through you blog - love all the amazing pictues. I slipped on ice running a couple of weeks ago - broke my wrist! Favorite yoga pose is now lame-dog! UGH! I want a sunburned nose and a rum drink, too! much love - k

Here is a picture from a Junkanoo event we attended at Regatta Park in Georgetown. It featured a talk on the history of Junkanoo and a brief performance, which was just fabulous.

We went with Willie and Sara of Daisy, who we first encountered while locking through the Dismal Swamp waaaaay back last year. They are 19 and taking a year off from college to go cruising, which I think is just fabulous. Why didn't I think to do that?

More about Junkanoo, it is a street parade with music, which occurs in many towns across The Bahamas every Boxing Day (December 26) and New Year's Day. The largest Junkanoo parade happens in Nassau, the capital.

Junkanoo was celebrated in various parts of the Americas, and variants of the word's orthography may be found in each place - Jonkonnu or John Canoe in Jamaica; John Kuner in North Carolina; and John Canoe in Belize.

Junkanoo groups "rush" from midnight until shortly after dawn, to the music of cowbells, in costumes made from cardboard covered in tiny shreds of colourful crepe paper.

Nice hair cut, if I don't say so myself.....I'm glad that the SOB's can see now also. Hopefully we willsee you again tomarra!!

Please forgive me, Lord

02/02/2009

I could not help myself. This is a picture of our current neighborhood crank who I call The American Speedo. Not only does he commit the obvious swimwear offense (usually reserved for Europeans), but he has poor flag etiquette, flying the American flag above the Bahamian courtesy flag. Shockingly, this individual in single.

He hollers at anyone who tried to anchor near him. After we dropped the hook not too far away he drove around the boat in his dinghy going full speed with a menacing scowl. Bill and I bravely hid below.

On Saturday night a very pretty sailboat attempted to anchor within his hollering range a while after rum thirty. When the poor beleaugured boater decided to pull the hook and head elsewhere he had to pass through a gauntlet of cockpit cocktail parties. It was very funny to hear the comments aimed at them everything from "Go get back there" to "Hey man, I think your anchor is dragging."

We have been trying for months to get a good picture of the hounds doing their launch from the dinghy. At last we got Gus mid-jump. This picture does not accurately capture how flippin' funny it is when they jump, but it is better than a sharp stick in the eye.

It's not all just hanging around, drinking rum and watching sunsets. Today we made pasta from scratch. Inspired by the Naked Chef, we used the recipe and instruction from his book Cook with Jamie ("just brilliant") and employed a pasta maker we acquired from Scott and Freddie back in DC. (Speaking of DC, anyone note the Frager's T-shirt?)

Here Bill is helping by strewing pasta wherever he can to dry. Way at the top of the photo you can barely see where he has run a pvc pipe across to serve as a drying rack. Yep, pvc pipe - proving once again its invaluable versatility.

This is not a great shot, but it shows the crowd and the scene for this evening's festivities - a bonfire beach party on Hamburger Beach.

I brought my potato pizza dealie, which is easy to make but insanely yummy. It was gone in seconds.

Start with the base which I make using our friend Anne L's Ridiculously Easy No Rise Dough Recipe:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of salt
Knead for 5 minutes, let rest for 5 minutes.
Roll out, pinch the edges so there is a little lip. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes at 400 degrees.

Fill with some mashed potatoes, enough to just fill the shell, sprinkle first bacon bits and then shredded cheddar over the top. Put back in the oven until the cheese is nice and melty. Serve with sour cream.

Forementioned new Canadian friends from s/v Seabattical1, Clark and Michelle, organized a walking tour of Black Point while we were there. Here we are with Geraldine and Wayne from s/v Intuition 1, more Canadians. Marcel you would fit right in down here!

While at Staniel Cay we did have a mission. As part of the Seven Seas Cruising Association's Operation Bahamas Project we brought five boxes of school books from the US to the Staniel Cay All Ages School.

Here are 11 of the 14 children who attend this K-8 school. It is usually 11 boys and 3 girls but today two of the girls and one boy were out with the flu.

They were a delightful and well behaved group of children. The teaching staff is comprised of a couple who emigrated from Guyana two years ago.

We look forward to bringing them more supplies and visiting them again next year.

We are soooo jealous. It is a balmy 22 degrees here this morning with electrical breakers expecting to trip at any moment.... Send us warmth.
Love to you both, Deeanna and Mark

And on to Staniel Cay

Bess01/12/2009

After perfecting cracked conch in Allen's Cay, clearly we were done there. Next stop, Staniel Cay.

Staniel holds a special place in my (Bess') heart. As some folks know, about 3 or 4 years ago I jumped ship at Staniel when (long story) cruising with some crazy folks (no, I won't name names) and met those crazy Okies, Linda and Ken VanTreese. The very same Okies I was visiting last year when I found Bill.

You have to do something with it - here is Bess' first attempt to make cracked conch. We were mighty happy with the result - and any visitors will be too - Gail Larcher, have you bought your ticket yet??

Due to higher winds and rougher seas than expected, what could have been a 9 or 10 hour crossing ended up about 15 hours. So rather than continuing across the Bahama Bank and going to Morgan's Bluff in a straight shot, we anchored our first night at Gun Cay.

We snuck the pups to the beach for a walk the next morning before heading out - so after just promising not to put up more pictures of them, here is just one more. As you can see, they were so happy to be on the beach they felt like dancing.

We are loving the pup pictures. Don't stop posting them! Being a former Westie family, we have been able to reminisce our time with "Salty" on the beaches of Southeast Alaska. Enjoying your blog. Thanks! N & J S/V Seychelles

Backtrack and update

01/12/2009

Now that we have a good internet connection and plenty of time, we need to recap the last few weeks - the crossing, Andros and the Exumas so far.

As noted earlier, it seemed that Christmas Day would give us a decent weather window - not fabulous, but decent. Turns out the forecast was not exactly accurate. Instead of easterly winds of 10 to 15, we never saw winds of less than 20 right on the nose. And predictions of seas 1 to 2 feet near shore and 2 to 4 offshore, nope, not right about that either. Bill says they were 5 or 6 feet, Bess swears she saw 8.

It doesn't look so rough in this picture, but it was - and the water really is that blue.

Is this one of my lost boyfriends that isn't hiding in the cuddy? Maybe not, but I did see his brother on the Metro during the snow storm.
This is the sound of jealous hitting the keyboard.

Eastward Ho!

01/03/2009, West Bay, New Providence

We have just dropped the hook after a day's sail from Morgan's Bluff, where a one day stop to clear in turned into 5 days of laziness, interupted by a few projects..

Clearing in through Morgan's was easy and the people there, delightful. Their major industry is agriculture - grapefruit, tomatoes, cabbage and a host of other produce is grown there.

Here is a picture of our new friend Willie, who owns Willie's Water Lounge.

For most of our five days in Morgan's Bluff we were the only boat in the anchorage. New Year's Eve found us completely alone in the harbor. Willie's was closed and there was not another living soul around for miles.

On our last day there, we ventured over to the next town, Lowe Sound, and enjoyed our first conch salad of the year at Rex and Rosie's, a beach place owned by a delightful couple. Rosie explained that she first fell for Rex when she saw him coming out of the water carrying two big conchs.

Tomorrow we will head to Allen's Cay, at the far north end of the Exumas, known for the rare igaunas that call it home. They scamper out to greet the dingys coming to shore and expect handouts, with a stated preference for grapes. We don't think Gus and Jake will be making that trip to the beach.

Tomorrow at dawn we will leave Biscayne Bay and head east into the the Straits of Florida, across the Gulf Stream and through the Great Bahama Bank to Morgan's Bluff, Andros, about 150 miles from here. We expect to arrive sometime Friday afternoon.

Morgan's Bluff was named after Captain Henry Morgan, the 17th-century Caribbean privateer from Wales. Local lore has it that his treasure, which has ever been found, is hidden there somwhere in the wide system of subterranean limestone caves, which are complete with stalactites and stalagmites.

Captain Morgan, the rum named after him, portrays Morgan as a pirate, however Henry Morgan was offended by that characterization as he considered himself to be a privateer (one whose nation paid and licensed them to attack and plunder an enemy's shipping).

Are you sure Morgan's Bluff isn't named after Princess Morgan of Selby Bay? You might want to double check!!

Not today, I guess

12/23/2008

It does not look like the weather will cooperate for us to go anywhere today. National Weather Service forecast is "East winds around 20 knots with frequent higher gusts. Bay waters choppy in exposed areas." Similar forecast for tomorrow.

Thursday however, is looking good for a crossing over to Gun Cay, south of Bimini.

THURSDAY
SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS NEAR
SHORE AND UP TO 2 TO 4 FEET WELL OFFSHORE.

THURSDAY NIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS. SEAS 2 FEET OR LESS
NEAR SHORE AND UP TO 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE GULF STREAM.

So, given the weather, looks like we will skip the Keys for now and head across the Gulf Stream later this week. Woo hoo, a Bahamas crossing for Christmas!

Congratulations and good luck with your new venture! I am so jealous. The weather here is sooooo cold. I can't wait to meet Bill!
Happy 2009! You are off to a good start.

Pauline

Some said it would never happen

12/22/2008

Ha!, to all those who said Bessie could not live without the Crackberry. Here she is mailing the BB and keys to the office back to DC.

This was one of a few last minute errands before we leave in the morning. We had expected to be on our way by now, but finishing up the transmission install and subsequent alignment, plus restowing everything, has taken longer than expected.

Of course any possiblilty of departing will depend on the weather. We have not yet gotten enough information to decide whether we will move south down to the Keys or, if we have a good weather window, head over to Bimini.

Oh my Gaaawwwd....I bet you are still dreaming of the Blackberry.....No? Woman, you are as bold as your Devil's spawn, Jake.....a lot neater, but you share your boldness and brash disregard for authority.
Enjoy the Islands.
Happy New Year!

01/01/2009 | Wayne

I still can't believe it! What have you done with the real Bess? Actually, I'm full of envy and only wish I could mail back mine. We hope you had a great holiday and wish you smooth seas!

Belligerence and remorse

12/22/2008

Take a look at these faces.

Gus, on the right, at least feels something resembling regret for trashcapades while we were gone.

But Jake, who is the brains of the operation and most likely instigated the raid, appears largely unconcerned - almost challenging us to do something about it.

To my absolute delight, tonight I got a call from the "girls," my gang back in DC (this pic shows some, not all, of the gang - plus two stray guys and handsome Bill in the back right.) They were including me by phone in the annual Christmas gathering at Rosa Mexicana.

Anyone who knows me can tell you that friends are a huge part of my life - leaving DC was easy, leaving my friends in DC was very hard. I'm not sure it has really sunk in yet that calling Robin for a quick bite at Jenny's or schlepping out to the latest, greatest hot spot that Sue has found or going to a concert with Laura - all those things I took for granted over the years - those times are past.

Now, fishing Linda out of the Potomac in December, I think we all agree that once was enough on that.

Anyway, the "girls" are a very special part of my life - an amazing group of individuals, of every political leaning and from every region of the country, who are all smart, funny and incredibly accomplished.

It still amazes me that we were able to regularly get this group together for a such wide array of activities - not just eating and drinking but sailing, skiing, the rodeo, spa outings (not enough), baseball games, Edwin shows (of course), Sue's personal favorite, snowmobiling - and THE event of the year, the Parade of Lighted Boats.

So raise a glass (or three) for me. I really miss you guys. But save us some time on your summer 09 calendars, we'll be back for sailing in the Bay.

In large bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Mix with whisk. Let stand until yeast starts to grow. Add salt, olive oil and 1 c. flour and mix well. Add remaining flour and mix well. Knead dough on lightly floured surface, adding additional flour if needed until dough is no longer sticky. Place dough in large lightly greased bowl and cover with towel. Put in warm place to double in size (about 30 minutes). When doubled, punch down and roll out to fit pizza pan.

I just checked on our friends Bill and Christy's blog, and it put us to shame. We are so pathetically boring by comparison. And not funny at all. Do they really have lives that much more interesting than us? Dammit, I hate being a piker.

So I guess I will try to ramp up the text - I just figure no one (except sister Martha) would want to read that much and that they are all really just waiting until we get to the Bahamas to see pix of blue water and huge lobsters that we caught with our bare hands. Aren't they? or am I really that bad at assuming everyone thinks the same as I do.

Okay, well here is (surprise, surprise) another picture of Bill Storm and the boys. Bill is completely absorbed in Nigel Calder's diesel book as he gets ready to do his big transmission install.

Behind him you can see my goal shorts. They are size 8s from about 4 or 5 years ago. They are placed there, right above the lockers where all the food is stored - something of a reminder. As it turns out, the 'it just falls off you when you're cruising' diet really only works if you go offshore a lot without scopolomine patches - thereby spending entire nights face down on the floor clutching a trash bag for when you lose the ginger shaps that were supposed to help settle your stomach. Sure, if I did that every night from Annapolis to Miami my goal shorts would already be too big. But it really is not my idea of a fun time and who knew that Bessie was that much of a weenie??

Anyway, after that exhausting burst of activity, crafting four whole paragraphs, Bill and I will go back to doing what we do every afternoon, sitting around, doing nothing and drinking rum. In the morning, we sit around, do nothing and drink coffee. I'm not sure that schedule will give us much material for future posts, so you might just welcome the blue water and big lobster pictures after all.

We finally got warm a week ago. Pulled into Miami last Thursday and dropped the hook at Baker's Haulover, about 14 miles north of where we are now.

Friday morning we headed out to the the last few miles to Dinner Key (we were headed here to see Ken and Linda VanTreese - the very same Okies who picked up a stray Bessie in Staniel Cay two or so years ago) - anyway as we approached the first bridge, Bill felt some slipping in the transmission and we couldn't seem to get any oomph out of the engine.

He had been thinking that the transmission might be nearing the end of its expected life, so we were glad that it happened here in Miami rather than in the Bahamas. Bill is waaay cool - he figured out how to pull the tranmission by himself - and it was neither easy to access or to figure out.

In the end, it is not nearly as bad as Bill (aka Suzie Sunshine for his ability to expect the worst in every situation) predicted. Turns out it will cost less to put a new one in than to rebuild the old. But the supplier is shut down for inventory this week, so early next week is the soonest we'll be able to get it. Thanks to the folks at Transmission Marine Inc, we should be all set sometime next week.

We had the chance to visit with Bill's nephew Ryan, who was nice enough to drive us around so we could get a new camera - here's our first photo with the Canon PowerShot SD1100. We had just dragged poor Ryan out to the boat in terrible chop so everyone except the hounds is pretty much soaking wet.

Here is a shot, right before the camera died, of all the bow junk - this is before it was all loaded to give the boat that Appalachia-meets-the-cruising-life look. We have yet to see another boat that even comes close to matching our Clampett look.

Bill/Bess, I am looking forward to reading about your adventure as I also own an Allied SWII, hull #83, and will be keen to see how it works for some long distance cruising. Finally, someone on a sensible size boat. I always felt 32 was more than enough!

10/23/2008 | Rich

Good for you guys! I wish I could go cruising!! Keep us informed, I am sure it is going to be exciting!